Erin - By the spelling of your name, I am assuming you are a young woman!
If not, I apologize.
 
I wanted to post this publicly, not just to Erin.  For anyone who doubted
her post and how factual it is, let me say, I have a 9 year old, yes, 9
years old, who is 90% responsible for her ferret.  I supervise and help
with cage cleaning, but otherwise, this kid takes wonderful care of
Snowflake.  Snow came home neglected, abused and a bit scared.  Why did I
bring home a ferret like this for a child, well, the instant chemistry or
bond between Snow and Victoria was so obvious when they met at the shelter.
There was no doubt Snow wanted to be with Tor and no doubt Tor would teach
Snow what a loving human is.  At the time of this meeting, Victoria was
just shy of her 8th birthday.  To this day, Snow follows Tor around like
a puppy and has even climbed up into Tor's loft bunk (high like a top
bunkbed) to sleep with Tor.  No we don't allow Snow to run all night
anymore, too much worry about her falling.  Snow went from being skittish
and frightened to being outgoing and rotten, freely covering Tor's face
with kisses.  On the other hand, about weeks ago, I held a little albino
girl as she died in my arms thanks to the actions of responsible, capable,
mature adults.  I trust Erin anyday over the 'adults' that let that little
girl starve to the point we could not save her.
 
My point is, Erin is so right in saying, don't judge every young person the
same.  Is she financially responsible for her ferrets??  I would have to
believe her!  When Tor wanted to purchase Angel, a tiny little kit back in
February, the agreement was that Tor paid for her ($99) and paid for her
shots/checkups.  This kid has already put enough allowance into the bank to
pay for Angel's next visit and set of shots, and then some!
 
Erin, you sound like a wonderful person and I don't mean for a young
person, I mean regardless of your age.  You certainly sound responsible
and very loving to your fuzzies.  You are also completely correct in
stating that responsibility does not come with age.  I can show you some
40-something year olds who are worse than any 6 year old I've ever met!!
Erin should not be judged by her age or what some of peers might do, judge
her by her actions.  Erin represents the future of ferrets, she might be
the next Dr. Weiss, the next pioneer in ferret veterinary medicine.
 
Best of luck in following your dreams and keep posting, I admire you for
your courage to take a stand and defend yourself.  Your post was
exceptionally written, it speaks volumes about your personality and
intelligence!
 
Hugs,
 
Jen and Gang
[Posted in FML issue 3070]